The one and only
by ArollaPine
Summary: AU Story. Adrien Agreste fell in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. But she seems to be interested in someone else.
1. She's amazing

She was amazing. Funny, intelligent, charming. She was spreading her charm completely involuntarily, which only intensified her influence on his poor, down heart.

Adrien sat in the corner of the school yard and stared at Marinette talking to Alya. In his eyes there wasn't much hope that she would see anything more than just a friend in him.

"Will you do something with it, man?" Nino asked him, squatting next to his friend.

"With what?" Adrien sighed apathetically.

"With your crush on Marinette."

"I don't have a crush on Marinette." Adrien denied it, but the blush betrayed him.

"Sure. You only stare at her for days."

"So what?"

"Do something with it, I'm telling you."

"Like what?"

"Invite her somewhere. If I was spiteful, and luckily for you I'm not, I would remind you what you advised me when I was… uhm… interested in her."

"Not enough seriously, I'd say. You changed subject of your crush quite quickly."

"It was just at the beginning of the school year." Nino explained. "I'd known Marinette for years. It was a rather safe choice. I didn't know then that Alya is so cool. And if Ladybug didn't lock us in that cage, I probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to get to know her better."

"Are you suggesting that I should ask Ladybug to lock me in a cage with Marinette?" Adrien smiled.

"I don't know if it works every time. Anyway, your bad luck is that you've already known each other quite well. You won't reinvent the wheel."

"Exactly…" Adrien sighed.

If Marinette hadn't found yet anything interesting enough to fall in love with him, then there was no chance that any cage would help him. He got stuck in the friendzone forever.

"Remind yourself what you told me that day. Just be yourself." Nino added.

"It's easy for you to say that." Adrien just shook his head. "Being myself won't help me."

"I advise you to hurry up, because someone will steal her right in front of you. Alya's mentioned, that Marinette seems to be interested in someone already."

Adrien raised his head and looked at his friend carefully. They knew each other almost as brothers. Nino would never hurt him. If he told him such things, that had to be true. So, the case was hopeless…

He lowered his head. This didn't make sense. Who cared that half of the city was in love with him, if the one, he really cared about, would prefer someone else? He didn't notice that the girls had finished their conversation and headed towards them. He didn't have the opportunity to prepare for their company.

"Hi boys." He heard Alya's voice just next to him. He jerked his head up, just to catch Alya's careful gaze. "Nino, what are you doing to Adrien?"

"I'm not doing anything to him." Nino denied in a defensive tone and, to distract his girlfriend, he embraced her and kissed her.

"Then why is the poor boy sitting here completely broken?" Alya continued. Nino's distraction methods didn't work on her. In the end, she was a professional journalist.

"I'm not broken." Adrien replied. "Why do you think I am?"

"You sit here dejected." Alya summarised. "Something must have happened. Don't even tell me that your terrible father won't let you go to the cinema with us again."

Unwillingly, she gave him an excellent excuse. Except – this time he had managed to get permission to go out with friends. In addition, he didn't want to lie.

"My dad isn't so bad…" Adrien tried to justify his father.

"You sound a bit like a victim of domestic violence." Alya noticed. "Somehow I don't believe you. Never mind. Tell me right now, will you go with us this time or not?"

"This time I'm with you." Adrien said.

"That's great!" Marinette was pleased and smiled warmly at him, giving him a little hope that hypothetically he couldn't have.

"Then what did Nino tell you that made you upset?" Alya returned to the previous topic that both Nino and Adrien wanted to avoid at all costs.

"We were talking about the day when Ladybug locked us in the cage." Nino answered quickly, and Adrien only blushed. In fact, it wasn't a lie – they also talked about it.

"Really? Do you want to lock up with someone new?" Alya asked suspiciously her boyfriend. "Or maybe Adrien wants to lock up with someone?"

Adrien knew that Alya was just joking and guessing at random. Unfortunately, even at random she hit exactly the point. He hoped to control the blush, but he felt the warmth on his cheek. But before he wanted to die from embarrassment, Marinette gave him a helping hand:

"Leave him alone, Alya."

"We'd better think about what we're going to the cinema for." Nino added.

"Don't think I'm going to buy it." Alya commented, reluctantly letting Nino embrace her. "I'll get it out of you, Nino. And I'll do it the easy way or the hard way."

"Mhmm…" he muttered in her ear. "Will it hurt?"

"It doesn't work on me."

"Yeah, right…"

"You're annoying!"

"I love you too." Nino grinned in response, and Alya finally resigned from the investigation.

Marinette just rolled her eyes and smiled meaningfully at Adrien.

"Maybe you two should look for a cage to lock up again?" She murmured, and Adrien chuckled. "We'll choose a movie for you. Although in the current situation I don't know if I want to go to the cinema with you."

"So, go without us." Nino muttered, carelessly, busy kissing Alya.

"I also prefer not to look at their snuggling." Adrien whispered to Marinette. "They seem not to care whether they are in the cinema or in the middle of the school yard. So, they can go with us as well. At least it's dark in the cinema…"

Marinette gave him a careful look but said nothing. She wasn't sure why Adrien didn't want to go to the cinema with her alone.

"What are we going to watch?" she asked instead.

"I have no idea. I'd love to see _'Deadpool 2'_. I liked the first movie very much, and the second part looks just as good."

"A movie about superheroes?" she asked with a half-smile.

"Why not?" he shrugged. "Deadpool is not a typical superhero. The first part made me laugh."

"I was crying on the scene on the bridge." Marinette admitted.

"Yeah! This is my favourite scene in this movie!" Adrien laughed, finally completely relaxed.

"So, it's decided." Marinette concluded. "Did you hear Lovebirds?" she asked Alya and Nino, but she didn't even expect an answer from them. She exchanged an amused look with Adrien. The most important thing was that between them everything went back to normal.


	2. What should I tell her?

Cat Noir was running through the city to meet Ladybug, but he was aware of being late. Like every Saturday evening, they had a patrol and he should be on the rooftop of the Notre Dame Cathedral at eight p.m. He wasn't. He had had too much fun in the cinema.

The film was long. Choosing _'Deadpool 2'_, he hadn't paid attention to the duration of the movie. In addition, the cut-off scenes played during the end credits effectively caught them in the armchairs for the next fifteen minutes. As a result – he was late.

When he arrived, Ladybug was already there. He had a strange feeling that she had just arrived too, because she blushed slightly when she saw him. Immediately, however, she controlled herself and smiled:

"I've already thought you forgot that today is Saturday, Kitty."

"Never!" He replied in a similar tone. "We're still stuck with each other, like a sweet, old married couple, My Lady."

Ladybug blushed again, and – again – she quickly controlled the confusion and commented:

"Better watch out for those matrimonial offers, Cat. For one day I'll finally agree, and you'll actually _be stuck_ with me."

He looked sideways at her. For the first time, she took his pun so literally. Usually, she answered with a similar joke, that encouraged him to the next ones. But it had been always innocent jokes, without second meaning. Could Ladybug take it seriously? He wouldn't want that. Especially, when he had a head and heart full of thoughts and feelings for Marinette.

"You know we'll get stuck in some relationship sometime…" he murmured carefully, trying to make the understatement clear and yet without hurting her feelings.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll have some relationships, Cat!" she nodded. "I hope we'll meet forgiving partners who will forgive us the double life."

Deep in his heart he felt a relief. She didn't think about him that way. He suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to confide in her. Nino hadn't help him. Going to the cinema only made things worse. Maybe Ladybug would find some advice for him?

"Ladybug?" he whispered.

"What's up?" she replied softly.

"Can you help me with something?"

"Sure, Kitty. What are friends for?"

"Uhm… You see… I like a girl."

"A girl?" she spotted and looked at him cautiously.

"Well, yeah… A girl. A colleague. A friend. And I… I have no idea how to tell her that."

"Oh, Cat… I think you chose the wrong person." She muttered. "I don't have experience in such things."

"But… But you are a girl, right?"

She giggled. At first, he looked at her reproachfully, but then he joined her laughing.

"Well, it's rather _obvious_ that I'm a girl." she nodded.

"Let's assume there is a boy who likes you. And you like him. How would you like him to tell you about it?"

"Cat…" she whispered cautiously. "You're asking for very personal matters."

"I know, I'm sorry. Forget about it." he restrained himself. "I'm just terribly afraid that she'll reject me."

"Oh, OK, Kitty…" Ladybug sighed, approaching Cat Noir. "I think I'd like him to stand close, embrace me and look deep into my eyes. And just say he loves me."

Cat Noir stared at Ladybug standing in front of him that he could easily embrace her in the way she'd described. Her face was so close that he could count the freckles on her cheeks. He had never seen her freckles before. Like blush on the cheeks.

"You think…" he started with a strange hoarseness, so he cleared his throat and continued: "Do you think it will be romantic?"

"Oh, I think it will be _very_ romantic." she replied and winked to him. "Good luck with your girlfriend, Cat! I'm going to check the city!" she finally said, and a moment later she was gone.

o o o

"So, should I do it the way that Ladybug advised me or not?" Adrien asked for at least the hundredth time, walking around his room and making Plagg's blood boil.

"I swear, next time I'll ask for a girl…" Plagg mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Or not. You're already talking like a girl… Over and over again about the same… Yeah, I'll ask for a macho…"

"Plagg? Are you OK?" Adrien asked concerned.

"You make me sick, kid." Plagg replied wryly. "How's that possible that such a self-confident boy loses all his courage in front of an ordinary girl?"

"Ordinary?" Adrien repeated in astonishment. "What are you talking about?! Marinette is absolutely the most gorgeous girl in the world, and you're telling me she's an ordinary girl?!"

"Oh, kid…" Plagg sighed theatrically. "What do you know about women? If only you knew what kind of women I've met in my long and interesting life…"

"I don't care about any other women." Adrien cut the digression and came back to the problem: "How can I get to Marinette?"

"Don't ask me. Cat Noirs have never had problems with winning the women's hearts. I assume it's because of my undeniable charm…"

"Undoubtedly…" Adrien commented sarcastically, and then he realised what he had just heard. "Thanks, Plagg!"

"What for?" the kwami asked suspiciously.

"For solving my problem!"

"What?!"

"You've just solved my problem! I'll talk to Marinette as Cat Noir!"

"No way! Are you serious?"

"You've just said that none of these interesting women in your past could resist the charm of Cat Noir. We'll check if your brags have any basics."

"Are you going to experiment on your beloved one?" Plagg asked in full disbelief.

"I'm not." Adrien said firmly. "I'm taking the opportunity, that's all. Plagg, claws out!"


	3. The MariChat kiss

He knew the way by heart. He had passed it so many times, that he would probably find the way even with his eyes closed. But the closer he got to Marinette's house, the more uncertainty he became. What if Plagg just had faked him out? Kwami had already hinted that his advice shouldn't be taken literally. Besides, considering Plagg's quite an original sense of humour, Adrien could rather bet that it was one of the jokes of that small kitten.

When Cat Noir came to the rooftop in Marinette's neighbourhood, he almost decided to retreat. Then he saw her. She stood on the balcony with her head lowered, leaning against the railing. He felt so strong emotions that even though he thought about going back home, he just changed his mind. He just wanted to be with her now. Even if she was to trample on his feelings.

And maybe Plagg overestimated the influence of Cat Noir's charm on women, but in the superhero's mask Adrien forgot about the embarrassment he usually felt in the presence of Marinette.

"Good evening, Princess…" he greeted her with a smile.

"Oh, good evening, Cat!" she replied in astonishment. "What brings you here?"

"I've been just patrolling the city. And I've thought that maybe I'll visit someone nice."

"I'm so sorry, Cat…"

"Why?" he was surprised. "Because I wanted to see you?"

She blushed when she heard these words but didn't comment them at all. She only whispered:

"You must be very lonely, Cat…"

"Lonely?" he approached her and stood next to her against the railing.

"You know, as a superhero you don't have too many friends."

"I have Ladybug." He replied automatically, and she giggled.

"Oh, right… Ladybug…" she murmured.

"You don't like her?" he asked suspiciously and glanced at her sideways.

"How can I dislike her? Everyone likes her."

"Well… Hawkmoth doesn't…" he muttered, and she began laughing. "What?" he asked in a defensive tone.

"You know… It seems to me that he doesn't dislike her either."

"Wh-What?!" he exclaimed in astonishment.

"Well, I think that everything he's been doing isn't caused because of lack of sympathy, but his desire to take over ou… your miraculous."

"This is the first time I've heard someone saying: _'lack of sympathy'_ to describe a hate." He summed up, ignoring her blunder. "You're too kind for Hawkmoth, Princess…"

"I've always wanted to ask you why you call me that." Marinette said suddenly.

Cat Noir lost his breath for a moment.

"Uhm…" he murmured.

Of course, there _was_ the reason he called her "Princess"! But how should he tell her that? Ladybug had said that it would be romantic if he confessed his feelings, embracing her and looking her deeply in the eye. But that would work on Ladybug. It didn't have to work on Marinette. On the other hand, Plagg had claimed that Cat Noir's charm was enough to win the girl. Adrien, however, hadn't noticed that Marinette ever fainted at the sight of Cat Noir. In that case he preferred to trust Ladybug's advice. At least she _was_ the girl, indeed.

He glanced at Marinette. She watched him with interest. Well, he had fallen silent a moment ago. However, she didn't insist for an answer. She waited.

He turned to her. She – though surprised – also turned to him and looked at him with a question in her eyes. And he felt so unsure but embraced her shyly. Marinette smiled slightly, which he could consider rather positively. At least she didn't push him away. For a moment he couldn't believe that they were standing there, and he was holding her in embraces. He stared at her blue eyes. Was it just an impression, or she waited for his next step? Yet he lost the courage to do it. And then Marinette climbed on her tiptoes and kissed him gently.

"There…" she whispered and stroked his cheek.

He closed his eyes and pulled her closer. And then he kissed her. And this time it was the real kiss.

o o o

"Mhmmm…" Marinette murmured when Cat Noir broke the kiss. "Now I get it…"

"What's that?" he looked at her a bit stunned.

"Why you call me _'Princess'_." She whispered, grinning.

He blushed.

"You're pretty shy for a superhero." Marinette commented, touching his cheek again.

"Because I _am_ shy." He smiled in response.

"Really?" she was surprised. "I wouldn't say so!"

"All nonchalance is just a pose." He shrugged. "To mislead people."

"Who do you want to mislead?" She laughed. "Me? Well, you can congratulate yourself. You succeeded!"

"You know, in general, when you lead a double life, it's all about confusing everyone around, so that no one will know who we really are – me and Ladybug. Acting is a necessity." He explained.

"You know who Ladybug is?" she whispered.

"Of course, I don't!" he laughed. "Neither she knows about my identity."

"And wouldn't you like to find out?" Marinette asked, watching him carefully.

"I don't know…" he replied thoughtfully, glancing at her. "You know… I've always wondered how it's possible to trust somebody without knowing too much about that person. The truth is that I don't know anything about Ladybug. I mean: privately. We can rely on each other. And I trust her immensely. But I don't know anything about her…"

"Neither does she about you…" Marinette whispered.

"Neither does she about me…" he repeated and became silent, lost in thoughts for a moment.

Marinette watched him, wondering where his thoughts had gone. He was right – she didn't know anything about him. She hadn't even realised that when he had asked her how to confess feelings to a girl, he could mean her. Her civilian-self. She also didn't know if he had any friends… A moment ago, she had been guessing at random that there was no one close to him when he was a superhero. But what was it when he wasn't Cat Noir? Her heart sank at the thought that this shy boy could be lonely in everyday life as well.

She stroked him on the cheek again. She liked doing that. And she liked watching him closing his eyes every time she did it. A little more, and he would demand scratching behind the ears. She looked at his ears, and Cat Noir blushed instantly.

"Don't even think about it…" he muttered.

"I've always wanted to do it." She whispered, climbing on her tiptoes.

"Don't do this." He asked. "I have no idea what will happen."

"I suppose, you'll purr." She winked at him. "You're a cat, aren't you?"

"Marinette…" he whispered in a pleading tone.

"Not _'Princess'_ anymore?" she teased, keeping her hand over his head.

"It may be quite embarrassing."

"Speak for yourself. I think it will be cute."

"What if I like it?" he teased as well.

"You'll start visiting me more often. For more…" she smiled, and he laughed happily. And then he confessed from the bottom of his heart:

"I love you, Marinette."

She froze for a moment, still with her hand outstretched to his ears. She stared at him with wide eyes. It wasn't a surprise, she could expect those words after their kissing. And yet… Yet… Those words were so powerful.

"I hope Cat, that this isn't your ploy to avoid scratching your ears" she said finally. "You must know that I treat such confessions very seriously. And I will keep your word. You've said it."

"Yes, I have. And no matter how much scratching you're planning, I won't take them back."

"I don't know anything about you…" she whispered, stepping closer and embracing him by the neck. "It's pure madness…"

And she kissed him. Cat Noir embraced her closer and only then felt her hands in his hair. And then… Then she scratched his ears…


	4. He's not you

"Mhmm… I like your purring…" Marinette whispered.

"Really?" he was surprised.

"It's so cute…" she admitted and hugged him. "Do you know it comes from somewhere inside you?"

"I know." He nodded, still confused by the purring that he couldn't control. And at the same time, he was moved by her reaction to it.

"Don't think I'm trying to take advantage of you but you could be useful from time to time."

"To purr?" he smiled.

"Uhm… Your purring can have a therapeutic effect."

"I like being useful, Princess. But… Does it mean you're in trouble?" he became interested.

"I'm just a little worried, Cat." Marinette whispered.

"What are you worried about?"

"I'll have to break someone's heart." she confessed suddenly.

"Mine?" He asked quietly and felt his heart froze.

"Sure… That's why I'm embracing you to break your heart. Oh, I'll kiss you to mislead you!"

"I don't mind your tricks. Just don't break up with me."

"I won't."

"So, who's that poor guy?"

"Don't make fun of him. It's really hard for me."

"You like him?"

"Of course, I like him. If I didn't, it wouldn't hurt me so much."

"But do you _like_ him?"

"He's my friend." Marinette admitted. "And I think… That he probably likes me. You know… That kind of _like_."

"Oh…" Cat Noir murmured, guessing immediately who they were talking about. And he wasn't sure if he was happy or sad. "So, what's wrong with him?" He asked directly, and she looked at him as if he asked her if the Earth was round.

"He's not you." She replied simply.

"What if he _was_ me?" He asked, afraid of hearing her answer.

"Oh, that would solve a lot of problems. But even Ladybug isn't so lucky in life." Escaped from Marinette, and she quickly corrected herself: "Wouldn't. She _wouldn't_ be so lucky."

"So, would you accept my worse self?" Cat Noir continued, not paying attention to her slip of the tongue.

"What do you mean saying: worse?" she was surprised. "After all, when you're not Cat Noir, you're still yourself, right? Or rather, when you're Cat Noir, you're still yourself."

"Then why do you love me as Cat Noir and you want to break the heart of my civilian-self?"

"I can't love two boys at once." she confessed. "I had to refuse one of you."

"Wait. So, if I talked to you as Adrien first, then you'd be with him and you'd break Cat Noir's heart?" He asked, and only Marinette's shocked look made him realise what he had said.

"As A-Adrien?" she stammered.

"I think it's too late for denying." He sighed. "Plagg, claws in…"

Marinette squeaked when, a moment later, she realised that she was hugged by Adrien Agreste. Actually, nothing had changed. After all, it was still the boy she loved. And who loved her.

"That wasn't part of the plan, kid…" Plagg muttered, hiding behind the Adrien's collar. His green eyes crossed with Marinette's blue eyes. "Master Fu won't be happy…"

"Why did you do that?" Marinette asked, moving her gaze to Adrien.

He blushed.

"I've blurted out my identity."

"So have I! So what?"

"What?" he spotted.

"Uhm, nothing…" she restrained herself instantly.

"I think it doesn't make sense to continue this comedy…" Plagg muttered. "Just live happily ever after. And leave me alone. Tikki? Are you there, my sugarcube?"

Marinette giggled.

"Even I don't call her like this. If I were you I would be more careful about my words."

"Be quiet, stinky-sock!" a thin voice in Marinette's room replied, and Adrien felt that he lost contact with the reality.

"I missed you too!" Plagg grinned and flew inside the room, leaving his holder with an astonished face.

"I don't understand anything. What was that?" Adrien asked quietly.

"Well…" Marinette smiled. "I'd say that your coming-out has amazing consequences. I had no idea they knew each other so well."

"What do you mean: _they_?"

"Adrien, Adrien… You're one of the smartest guys I know. Put two and two together." She smiled wider at him and then she leaned in and whispered just millimetres from his lips. "I'm so glad that you're truly my one and only, Cat…"

And then she kissed him.

He embraced her tightly and enthusiastically continued kissing, not even trying to understand what had just happened. His head buzzed with happiness. She'd said he was one of the smartest boys she knew. She kissed him. So, he could assume that she lost her head for him. He didn't care about anything else.

o o o

**A little bonus:**

"Do you think that kwamis can have children?" Marinette asked.

"You're wondering where little kwamis come from?" Adrien joked.

"Excuse me!" Tikki interrupted outraged and flew towards them. "Maybe I'll give you a lecture about people's children? Considering things, you two are doing, you may need that lecture very soon!"

"Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed, flushing terribly.

"And now we're done here." Tikki replied.

o o o

"I wouldn't mind, Sugarcube…" Plagg murmured.

"Plagg, I swear I'll kill you…"

"I love you too, Tik…"


End file.
